Billing code 20900: Bone graft harvestMedicare rate & RVUs

Reports harvesting a small autogenous bone graft from a donor site for use in a reconstructive or orthopedic procedure requiring bone grafting.

CMS RVU26DEffective Oct 1, 2026109 payment localities7.9K Medicare services in 2024

Medicare pays $398.14 for 20900 nationally in the office and $160.66 in a hospital or facility. Local office rates run $350.28–$527.10.

Medicare rate · 20900

Bone graft harvest

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work RVUs
2.93
Total RVUs
11.92
Global days
000

National rate · 2026

$398.14

Office setting, before claim adjustments.

See every locality for 20900 → · Billed by an NP, PA or therapist? →

Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.

On this page 10 sections
  1. Medicare rate
  2. What 20900 covers
  3. By payment locality
  4. Rate map
  5. How it’s calculated
  6. Payment rules
  7. Similar codes
  8. Related codes
  9. Billing questions
  10. Sources

What 20900 covers

This service covers obtaining a small piece of the patient’s own bone for grafting, such as a small dowel- or button-shaped piece. An orthopedic, spine, or reconstructive surgeon may harvest it during an operation in which another site needs bone graft material. The operative record should identify the donor site and describe the harvested graft and the procedure for which it is used.

Select this code when the harvested graft is minor or small; code 20902 represents a major or large harvest. Report the harvest with the procedure that uses the graft when separately supported by the operative work. The 0-day global period includes same-day preoperative and postoperative care. When multiple procedures occur in one session, Medicare pays the highest-valued procedure in full and reduces the others to 50%. Assistant-at-surgery payment may be allowed; co-surgeon payment requires supporting documentation, and team surgery is not permitted. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for this code.

This summary was written with AI assistance from CMS physician fee schedule data and checked against the CMS billing rules shown here. Rates on this page come directly from CMS files.

Where 20900 pays more and less

The same RVUs, adjusted for each area’s costs. Open a locality for its calculation, history and nearby areas.

109 payment localities

$350.28 to $527.10

$350.28$438.69$527.10
One dot per payment locality, office / nonfacility. Hover a dot to see the locality; select it to open that rate.

109 of 109 payment localities

20900 office and facility rates by payment locality
Payment localityOfficeFacility
Alabama$355.65$147.86
Alaska*$458.35$205.43
Arizona$387.02$156.90
Arkansas$350.28$146.29
Atlanta$406.20$164.92
Austin$412.99$161.74
Bakersfield$421.02$160.74
Baltimore/Surr. Cntys$424.25$169.44
Beaumont$371.42$155.31
Brazoria$392.84$157.49

20900 rates by state

Office rate range in each state. Select a state to see its payment localities.

Explore a state

Local rates. Clear comparisons.

Hover or focus a tile to see its rate range. Select it to open the state’s fee schedule.

$350.28

$473.38

Color shows the midpoint of each state’s locality range.

View every state and territory as a table
20900 office rate range by state
State / territoryOffice rate rangeLocalities
AK$458.351
AL$355.651
AR$350.281
AZ$387.021
CA$419.65–$527.1029
CO$413.991
CT$425.351
DC$455.831
DE$393.601
FL$393.70–$434.313
GA$370.52–$406.202
GU$430.331
HI$430.331
IA$364.311
ID$366.951
IL$382.44–$421.014
IN$369.151
KS$362.901
KY$365.231
LA$364.78–$383.552
MA$411.51–$455.532
MD$401.21–$455.833
ME$369.34–$389.662
MI$375.48–$399.192
MN$395.091
MO$358.50–$384.533
MS$354.441
MT$398.111
NC$373.311
ND$388.621
NE$366.281
NH$407.791
NJ$429.76–$450.872
NM$377.771
NV$395.751
NY$379.17–$471.865
OH$373.541
OK$364.151
OR$392.24–$427.152
PA$373.95–$414.652
PR$401.021
RI$407.651
SC$374.131
SD$387.491
TN$364.851
TX$371.42–$412.998
UT$379.451
VA$388.59–$455.832
VI$401.021
VT$387.381
WA$410.64–$464.622
WI$375.111
WV$367.811
WY$393.971

How the 20900 rate is calculated

Each of 20900’s three RVUs is multiplied by a geographic index (GPCI) for the payment locality, added up, and multiplied by the conversion factor. Drag the indexes or enter a ZIP to see what moves the rate.

How the rate is built · 20900

RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

Work 2.93Practice expense 8.51Malpractice 0.48

11.9200 adjusted RVUs×$33.4009 conversion factor=$398.14

All indexes start at 1.000 (the national rate). Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.

Payment rules and modifiers for 20900

The CMS indicators that decide how 20900 is paid alongside other services.

CMS payment indicators · 20900

Bone graft harvest

RuleCMS valueWhat it means
Global period000Same-day global: pre- and post-op care on the day of the procedure is included.
Multiple procedures2Standard reduction: highest-valued procedure at 100%, others at 50%.
Bilateral (modifier 50)0The 150% bilateral adjustment doesn’t apply.
Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS)2Paid.
Co-surgeons (62)1Permitted with supporting documentation.
Team surgery (66)0Not permitted.
Professional/technical0Physician service: no professional/technical split.

What modifiers do to the payment

Modifier 51 · payment effect

With and without the modifier

20900 without 51 · national office

$398.14

Bone graft harvest

20900-51 · Second procedure: 50%

$199.07

When this isn’t the highest-valued procedure in the session, Medicare pays 50% of its fee schedule amount (the highest is paid at 100%).

When to use modifier 51

20900 compared with similar codes

Compare codes

20900 vs 20902 vs 20936 vs 20937 vs 20938: national Medicare rates

Swap in your local Medicare rate.

  • 20900
    Bone graft harvest · 2.93 wRVU
    $398.14
  • 20902
    Bone graft harvest · 4.47 wRVU
    —
  • 20936
    · 0 wRVU
    —
  • 20937
    Spinal bone graft · 2.72 wRVU
    —
  • 20938
    Spinal bone graft · 2.94 wRVU
    —

How to choose

20902Bone graft harvest
Both represent harvesting the patient’s bone for a graft. Choose 20900 for a minor or small harvest and 20902 for a major or large harvest.
20936Sp bone agrft local add-on
20936 describes local spinal autograft obtained through the operative incision. Use 20900 for a separately documented small bone harvest rather than local bone collected at the recipient site.
20937Spinal bone graft
20937 represents a separately harvested morselized autograft for spinal surgery. Choose 20900 for a minor or small harvest that is not being reported under that spinal graft code.
20938Spinal bone graft
20938 represents a separately harvested structural autograft for spinal surgery. It differs from 20900, which identifies a minor or small bone harvest.

20900 billing questions

How is 20900 distinguished from 20902?

Use 20900 for a minor or small bone harvest and 20902 for a major or large harvest. The operative documentation should support the extent of the harvest.

Is 20900 an add-on code?

No add-on status is listed for 20900. Report it for the separately performed small bone harvest when the operative record supports that work.

Can 20900 be reported with a spinal graft code?

A small separate-site harvest is distinct from local spinal autograft represented by 20936. Codes 20937 and 20938 describe other spinal autograft approaches, so select based on the documented graft and harvest method.

Should modifier 50 be appended for bilateral harvesting?

No. Modifier 50 is inappropriate for 20900 under the CMS bilateral adjustment rule.

How does the 0-day global period affect same-day care?

Same-day preoperative and postoperative care is included in the procedure. When other procedures are performed in the same session, standard multiple-procedure payment reduction applies.

Where these rates come from

FeeBase calculates base physician payments from CMS work, practice-expense and malpractice RVUs, adjusted by each locality’s geographic indexes and the conversion factor. Services without a published rate are labeled, never given a made-up amount. Amounts are Medicare allowed amounts before claim adjustments: not a patient’s bill or a commercial rate.

CMS RVU26D · effective Oct 1, 2026 through the day before Jan 1, 2027

Show the CMS file lines behind this rate
RVUs for 20900PPRRVU2026_Oct_nonQPP.csv, line 1,804 (RVU26D)

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates

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